For many people, developing guitar calluses takes little more than a week of regular practice. Though this can be a painful process, it usually results in calluses that protect the fingertips and relieve pain. But if you're like me, getting guitar calluses is not so easy.
Even when I'm able to develop decent calluses, almost invariably they disappear after going just a few days without playing. I've found that the best way to develop calluses that last is to practice as long as possible without reaching the point where the skin begins to tear. When you break the skin, there's no going back and overall development will take much longer.
It's also important not to pop any blisters that come from playing guitar. I know it's difficult, but trust me. I've tried everything.
Finally, another thing you can do to promote healthy callus growth is avoid getting your hands wet. Moisture weakens your skin and leads to tearing. The best solution is to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer instead of washing your hands multiple times daily.
I am returning to guitar
Submitted by ella3 on August 8, 2012 - 17:19.I am returning to guitar after many years of not playing. I am dealing with an inflammatory arthritis condition now and things just heal slower when you are old and it is MUCH harder to grow calluses now than it was when I was young.
DMSO
I am using DMSO for other areas of inflammation in my body so I have been using that on my fingers and tips. DMSO dries the skin out, (itching painfully in the process) so it must be used with some kind of moisturizer or oil. Since DMSO makes anything you put on your skin with it, (especially within the first two hours) just soak right into your blood stream, you only want to use it right before bedtime when you won't be touching any potentially toxic substances for some time (like dish soap, for instance, or worse!) You also want to take great care in choosing your hand lotion. I recommend something as genuinely natural and organic as possible. (no faux naturals!) You also can make your own lotion or just use olive oil, but I prefer lotion.
DMSO is sold legally over the counter as a solvent although it has many potentially beneficial medical applications it is only FDA approved for a rare bladder inflammation problem (interstitial cystitis). Just buy the purest you can find: 99.98 or 99.99 percent pure, dilute with distilled water: 60% or 70% DMSO to the rest distilled water). Stay away from cheap gels especially! Toxic!
Also, as DMSO IS a solvent-- it melts nitrile gloves for instance. So glass and special grade plastics are in order.
I find I don't get the garlic breath odor problem unless I really use a lot of this stuff. During the day I take MSM (a derivative of DMSO) orally and I only use DMSO diluted at night. I have only had the experience of the bad stink once.
Although I think I just pretty much covered everything, DMSO is a little tricky/dangerous to use, so you might want to educate yourself as much as possible. I read the book DMSO: Nature's Healer by Dr. Morton Walker. Also, Search YOUTUBE: DMSO 60 minutes, or link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0i7jARfKeI&playnext=1&list=PL557FE6FD003...
CALENDULA OIL
Since I've discovered lotion to be the best thing to use with DMSO, I have attempted to make my own lotions. Beeswax based ended up with a very thick cream. Use micro-crystalline wax for a thinner more liquid-like lotion. But the coolest thing was some Calendula oil I made back a few years ago that was stashed in a closet. (Use the petals and throw out the flower centers to avoid mold. If you let the whole blossom dry over night the petals will pop off easier. Then, put a little Everclear (high alcohol content booze) on your fully dried petals and then mix in your chosen oil base. Stay away from anything GMO (soy, corn, canola). Olive oil doesn't get rancid and acts as antioxidant when mixed with other oils.) Anyway, I put some of this calendula oil on my very sore finger tips after a little more brutal than usual playing session, and it made the pain move down my fingers and then dissipate and my fingers tips healed much quicker than usual. I was totally stoked!
Alcohol vs. Oil or lotion
Personally I wouldn't put alcohol on my finger tips. It may make you calluses temporarily dryer therefore harder, but it will also make your calluses more brittle and therefore more easily damaged. I can remember having dangerous callus peal when I was younger, but I grew callus so much quicker then! Since any callus that I build now is precious to me, healing oils and DMSO help keep the integrity of the callus intact so I don't lose anything that I have made. I would rather try some of these products that you can put on your finger that create an artificial callus or something--I have to look into it--I could use some of that right now. After a whole month I am still can't play more than a few minutes and every other day. (I'm 52 years old with inflammatory arthritis) Thank god I sing.